2nd lawsuit in fatal 2012 crash near Elgin
A second lawsuit has been filed against a 19-year-old accused of reckless homicide in a single-vehicle crash last year in Burlington Township that killed one person and injured another.
Shadontre Smith filed the suit in Kane County, arguing that Shannon Hill was negligent when he was speeding and flipped the 2007 Lincoln MK he was driving west on Plank Road, west of Engel Road, on Sept. 2, 2012.
Hill, 19, of the 0-99 block of Poplar Creek Drive, Elgin, is charged with reckless homicide, driving under the influence of drugs, aggravated DUI, improper lane use and speeding more than 40 mph over the limit.
Authorities say Hill was high on marijuana at the time of the crash.
Smith, 19, of South Elgin, was severely injured in the crash and airlifted to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and does not detail what injuries Smith suffered. A message left with this attorney, Craig Squillace, was not returned. The lawsuit is due in court on Jan. 16.
Lawrence Echols, 17, of Elgin, who was backseat passenger in the SUV, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Echols' relatives filed suit about two months ago, seeking damages from Hill's guardian, Mattie Grant, of Carpentersville. The suit argues she knew or should have known about Hill's drug and alcohol abuse and reckless driving record.
The lawsuit says Hill was traveling at more than 100 mph and seeks damages from the 2 J's Wine and Spirits of Elgin, arguing Hill got alcohol from there before the crash. That lawsuit is next due in court on Dec. 5.
Hill and another passenger walked several miles to then-Sherman Hospital in Elgin hours after the crash while K-9 units and even a helicopter searched for survivors.
Hill is being held at the Kane County jail on $400,000 bail and is due in court on Dec. 4. If convicted, he faces a maximum 29-year prison sentence.